IIPM

Desk Project On
Study of the Quality circle movement in the Indian automobile industry

Subject: Basic Industrial Relations

Submitted To:
Ms.Poonam Gurbaxani IIPM,Ahemedabad.

Submitted By:
Bhavin.V.Rayka FW/9-11/ISBE/FIN

ABSTRACT
Industrial relations has become one of the most delicate and complex problems of modern industrial society. Industrial progress is impossible without cooperation of labors and harmonious relationships. Therefore, it is in the interest of all to create and maintain good relations between employees (labor) and employers (management).

Concept of Industrial Relations:

The term Industrial Relations comprises of two terms: Industry and Relations. Industry refers to any productive activity in which an individual (or a group of individuals) is (are) engaged. By relations we mean the relationships that exist within the industry between the employer and his workmen. The term industrial relations explains the relationship between employees and management which stem directly or indirectly from union-employer relationship. Industrial relations are the relationships between employees and employers within the organizational settings. The field of industrial relations looks at the relationship between management and workers, particularly groups of workers represented by a union. Industrial relations are basically the interactions between employers, employees and the government, and the institutions and associations through which such interactions are mediated. The term industrial relations has a broad as well as a narrow outlook. Originally, industrial relations was broadly defined to include the relationships and interactions between employers and employees. From this perspective, industrial relations covers all aspects of the employment relationship, including human resource management, employee relations, and union-management (or labor) relations. Now its meaning has become more specific and restricted. Accordingly, industrial relations pertains to the study and practice of collective bargaining, trade unionism, and labor-management relations, while human resource management is a separate, largely distinct field that deals with nonunion employment relationships

and the personnel practices and policies of employers. The relationships which arise at and out of the workplace generally include the relationships between individual workers, the relationships between workers and their employer, the relationships between employers, the relationships employers and workers have with the organizations formed to promote their respective interests, and the relations between those organizations, at all levels. Industrial relations also includes the processes through which these relationships are expressed (such as, collective bargaining, workers participation in decision-making, and grievance and dispute settlement), and the management of conflict between employers, workers and trade unions, when it arises.

The Miracle Circles

The 42-year-old quality philosophy still works. Companies are increasingly implementing Six Sigma or Total Quality Management(TQM) concepts in their endeavor towards quality improvement. An in-depth study of these concepts help us identity similarities between the concepts and certain other old quality philosophies. Quality Circles` is one such philosophy.

The Genesis
Dr.K.Ishikawa of Mushashi institute of technology,Tokyo,first presented the concept of Quality Circles in 1962. According to Ishikawa, Quality Circles comprise a small group of worker from a common area voluntarily undertaking quality control activities. They meet regularly to identify work-related problems and propose solutions.

Composition
A Quality Circlr(QC) essentially comprise eight to ten workers engaged in first line operations. They meet once a week to discuss and identify the root causes for quality eccentricities. Member of the circle examine the problems and suggest solutions. A consensus is reached after reviewing and analyzing individual solutions. The concept is built on the premises that the person who is directly involved in the process knows the dynamics of the process best. Therin lies the strength of this concept. This thought does not preclude the involvement of executive and managers in the program. To ensure a smooth flow of the activities

of a quality circle, appropriate guidance and constant support of the top management is needed.

Structure
Quality circles comprise of:

y y y y y y y

Top management Coordinator Steering committee Facilitator Leader Member Non member

Top management
Though not directly a part of a formal Quality Circle structure, top-level management influences the successful implementation of the concept. A quality council collects information about the program and report it to the Managing Director. The top management has to convey its policy of quality to its employees and encourage them to form QCs. It should ectend its support and more importantly make it visible so that even workers in the lowest rung know what the top management is doing for them. It should also be lenient enough to financially support QC projects.

Coordinator
A senior manager acts as a coordinator. He arranges steering committee meeting and is responsible for proper documentation of various activities. He organizes training programs whenever needed. Overall, he is responsible for conducting seminars presentation and case studies and publishing periodicals to ascertain that the work of the QC is recognized.

Steering committee
A steering committee is a group of member working under the chairmanship of the CEO with functional heads as members. The member of steering committee are responsible for proper implementation of the QCs in their respective areas. They make the facilitators under them accountable to them. The CEO review the reports of the members` activities and makes suggestions.

Facilitator
A senior person in a specific area acts as a facilitator. He bears the responsibility to catalyze and motivate the quality circles. He acts as a guide or mentor for effective operation of quality circles. Further, he also elucidates the functioning of quality circles in his area in steering committee meetings.

Leader / Deputy Leader

The member of the circle chose a leader with due care and consensus. As the leader shape the circles` effectiveness, training him is vital. A good leader should have the ability to motivate members of the team, conduct meeting, and coordinate efforts apart from involving all the members in the quality philosophy. He should strive to avert conflict and ensure quality-oriented team work.

Members
Members of a circle ought not to be forced to join a Quality Circle rather; they should join of their own volition. They need to an understanding of the

functioning of Quality Circles. They should encourage other employees to participate in the movement, zealously involve themselves in the quality improvement programs, implement solution and give presentation effectively.

Non-members
Non-member are important because they support circle members externally. Also if they realize the benefit of forming circles, they will willingly partake in the activities. Hence, non-members are often considered prospective member. Though Quality Circle essentially comprise a small group of workers, the involvement of all the employee of an organization at some point is critical. Following a structural hierarchy will ensure a smooth flow of the circle`s activities.

Functioning of Quality Circles

Quality Circles meet regularly once a week for an hour or two. During the meeting, the leader and members of a Quality Circle discuss various problems in their sphere of work and explore possible solutions. Some of the techniques used by Quality Circle members to solve and analyze problem include:

y Brainstorming:
Brainstorming is a process wherein a group focuses on an issue/problem with an aim to identify several radical solutions. They express their idea as they occur, regardless of the content of the ideas, such that each of the participants has the opportunity to build upon the ideas of others. No discussion, evaluation, or criticism of ideas is allowed until the brainstorming session is complete. Every

brainstorming session should have an assigned facilitator to record all the ideas generated.

y Pareto analysis
It is technique of analyzing problem by ranking causes from the most significant to the least significant. It is based on the principle that most effects come from relatively few causes, that is 80% of the effects come from 20% of the possible causes. For example, analysis of the reasons for rejection of a component might show 10 possible causes. Typically, two of these will account for approximately 80% of all rejected components and should logically be tackled first.

y Ishikawa diagram:
It allows team to identify, explore and graphically display in increasing detail, all the possible causes related to a problem. Thereby, it help identify the root causes of the problem. Once the root causes of the problem is (are) discovered, rectification become easy.

y Histogram
This is graphical representation of a series of measurement categorized into intervals. The frequency distribution is drawn as proportionally sized bars. Histograms clearly depict the mean value, pattern of variation and the extent of variation with reference to specification in the process.

y Control chart:
A typical control chart is a graphical display of a quality characteristic that has been measured or computed over time, against established control limits from a process. It embraces the strength of quantitative and graphical methods to control quality.

A few success stories

The case Tata steel

Tata Steels, a world leader in the steel industry started its QC journey way back in 1990 with a negligible number of Quality Circles. As per the recent statistics, the number of quality circles operating in Tata steel has risen to over 7500. It proudly declares that more than 96% of its employees are involved in this quality movement. To their credit Quality Circles have solved 14000 problems by themselves, which benefited the company not only in terms of quality improvement but also in terms of productivity, cost and safety. Many of the circles have participated in competition at chapter level, national level and international level too.

The Story of United Catalyst

The success story of United Catalyst in Louisville, Kentucky tells us how process improvement was made possible through QC. United Catalyst, initiated quality circles at the grassroots level with an orientation of process improvement. This resulted in a significant increase in the total yield from 90.8% to 95.6% out of which a particular product line`s yield went up from 89% to 98.6%. This in turn increased their revenue by millions of dollars.

At E.I du Pont Nemours & co

The fiber department of the US chemical company E.I du Pont de Nemours & Co. (Du Pont) plant Richmond was worried about its yield rate. They tackled the issue with the help of Quality Circles. Quality Circle team was determined to look into the matter and root out the problem so that the quality improvement can be achieved at the earliest, says Buck Ellis, a production operator serving as team leader. The process of production included four distinct areas namely spinning, bonding, slitting and packaging. Quality Circles were formed accordingly and underwent an eight hour training session during which they acquired the knowledge of the production process and various improvement tools and technique. As a result, everyone started involving in the quality amelioration and actively giving suggestion for betterment. This led to drastic improvements and automatically yield rate increased.

Apart from these companies, legends in the automobile industry like Honda of America, Mitsubishi and Toyota have also experienced benefit by implementing Quality Circles. Indian majors like BHEL, Larson & Turbo, BEL, Ashok Leyland are few to name from the unending list of companies succefully implementing.

Quality Circles
Is this an out of-style practice?

Such a legendry concept is being viewed as an outdated concept today. If carefully observed however, today`s popular concept such as Six Sigma and TQM, embrace the basic thoughts of QC. TQM is a management philosophy, which seeks to integrate all the organizational function to focus on meeting customer needs and organizational objectives. It is based on the participation of all members from the same work area or department carrying similar activities as that of TQM. Thus, TQM can be viewed as an enhanced version of the QC concept. Six Sigma is a right blend of qualitative and quantitative measure to improve quality. Six Sigma training involves people at all levels, about the concept and functionality of Six Sigma to the extent based on the roles they are going to perform in the real time implementation. Training frontline people in Six Sigma, apart from training frontline operators, also trains employees at all managerial levels. Thus even Six Sigma embraces the basic thought of QC concept.

So, it is not true that QC concept is no longer valid; rather it got enhanced and seldom seen in its congenital form.

Conclusion

Quality Circles are effective tools to trace the problems in a specific work area and find solution. It is not limited to manufacturing firms. They are applicable in a variety of organizations where there is scope for group-based solution of work related problems. Quality Circle are relevant for factories, firms, schools, hospital, universities, research institutes, banks, government office etc. With proper dedication of Quality Circles members and support of top management, Quality Circles can become miracle tools that improve overall quality.